Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m Diver Watch Hands-On

The popularity of dive watches means that there are always going to be lots of new ones each year. One of my favorite new ones for 2011 is from Ball, and it is the Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m diver. I will just call it the “Ball 3000m” diver for short. This super diver is water resistant to 3000 meters and carries Ball’s signature cool engineered looks. Chunky and legible, it shouldn’t be too expensive to boot.

I don’t know all the details yet, but I will tell you what I know. Size is at least 45mm wide, and as you can see the watch is quite thick. Ball is offering the 3000m diver with two dial styles – not sure how many colors. The one most people will prefer is likely the one seen here with the black dial. It has a more simple face that is easy to read thanks to the raised hour markers and large hands. Ball being Ball, everything is done in tritium gas tubes (that glow naturally and don’t need light to charge). The dial has several layers and makes for a good look with the case.

The other dial style is meant to further emphasize the three dimensional look and all the layers thereof. There is a lot more going on here. I would say that it is less utilitarian and more “Ball branding.” The watch case is thick – it needs to be for that deep 3000 meters of water resistance. Sitting tall on your wrist it still has very curved lugs and is comfortable to wear. On the back side of the watch is a map engraving. The case is also antimagnetic and contains a Swiss automatic movement – likely an ETA 2824 or alike.

As you can see, Ball will offer the Engineer Hydrocarbon Deep Quest 3000m with a vertical stripe textured rubber strap (that sits flush with the case) or one of their very good metal bracelets with accordingly nice deployment clasp. The 3000m isn’t just a nice diver, it is one of the best looking watches ever to come from Ball. As these are prototype models expect a few potential changes before the final versions are released. Really impressing from both a design and utility standpoint. Look for these watches someone later in 2011.